City Shooting Victim Mourned

32-year-old Dies In First Of Two Weekend Incidents On Vine Street

Family and friends say Keith Carter was ready to start a new job and get his life together when he was gunned down Saturday night, apparently over an argument, in a Hartford apartment building.

His mother, Annette Carter-Perkins, said her son had problems, but was ``a good guy'' and intelligent.

``He had brains going to bed,'' Carter-Perkins said.

Police said Carter, 32, was found in the first-floor hallway of 46-48 Vine St. at 9:30 p.m. He had been shot in the neck. Carter, of Montville Street, was taken to St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

The death has been ruled a homicide, the office of the chief medical examiner in Farmington reported. It was the city's 19th homicide this year.

About 3:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a report of another gunshot victim at the same Vine Street address. An unidentified 22-year-old man who had been shot in the back at 72-74 Vine St. made his way to 46-48 Vine St., police Lt. Giselle Gamble said. Police blocked off Vine Street between Albany Avenue and Mather Street.

The unidentified victim, who was ``very uncooperative'' with police, Gamble said, was taken to a city hospital. His condition could not be determined. Police have not made arrests in either case, and had no information on whether the shootings were related, Gamble said.

Carter was the father of two girls, aged 11 and 7. A woman who said she was the mother of the 7-year-old and another woman outside 46-48 Vine St. Sunday morning said neighbors had been at a block party Saturday night shortly before the shooting.

The women, who spoke on the condition that they not be identified, said Carter had argued with another man in the apartment building hallway where he was shot. The women said they did not know what prompted the argument. The other young man, whom they knew, ran away after the shooting, the two women said.

Carter had a criminal record, with convictions on drug, trespassing, assault and motor vehicle charges. He had recently been released from jail after an arrest on a trespassing charge, his mother said.

Carter-Perkins said her son ``was hanging around with the wrong crowd.''

She and others say Carter had stopped using drugs and was looking forward to starting a new job today. His mother said she thought the job involved construction. Carter had worked in the construction field before, she said.

``He was a jack of all trades,'' Carter-Perkins said. She said he was one of five siblings and also had a stepbrother.